


I Love You, Songbird

by alexandrite04



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), Green Arrow and the Canaries (TV)
Genre: Arrow - Freeform, Bisexual Character, Crime Fighting, Depression, Dinah Drake & Earth-2 Laurel Lance - Freeform, Dinah Drake - Freeform, Dinah Drake/Earth-2 Laurel Lance - Freeform, Dinah Drake/Laurel Lance - Freeform, Earth-2 Laurel Lance - Freeform, F/F, Fluff, Injury, Laurel Lance - Freeform, Laurel Lance/Dinah Drake - Freeform, Love, Psychological Trauma, dinah drake & Laurel Lance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:01:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 9,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26851114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexandrite04/pseuds/alexandrite04
Summary: Laurel just needs someone to be there for her and love her. Dinah is that someone.
Relationships: Dinah Drake & Earth-2 Laurel Lance
Comments: 5
Kudos: 23





	1. Here For You

"Laurel?" Dinah asks, knocking gently on the closed bathroom door. She hears a quiet sniffle from inside. "Go away, D." Laurel says, her voice strained from crying. Resting her head against the cool surface of the door, Dinah tells her, "I'm not leaving until you tell me what's wrong, Laur. Come out of the bathroom." She pleads. She hears Laurel sniffle. "I can deal with this by myself. It's fine." She responds stubbornly in an attempt to end the conversation. Dinah sighs at Laurel's stubbornness. "Laurel, just because you can deal with this alone doesn't mean you have to. I care about you and I want to be here for you, but I can't do that if you won't let me." She says gently. She hears Laurel sniffle, then a beat of silence before some shuffling behind the door and then finally, it opens. Laurel looks away as Dinah takes in her red eyes and tear stained cheeks. "What's wrong pretty bird? Talk to me." She says, cupping Laurel's cheek. They make eye contact for a second before Laurel looks away again and silently stares at a spot on the floor. "Come sit on the couch with me." Dinah says softly, grabbing Laurel's hand and gently tugging her towards the couch. Laurel surprisingly doesn't object and lets herself be led towards the couch. When they get to the couch, Laurel sits and pulls her knees up to her chest as Dinah sits down beside her. "Did something happen Laur? You were fine before we went out on patrol earlier." Dinah says observantly. Laurel tenses momentarily when Dinah mentions patrol, and she knows she hit a nerve. "Laur, please tell me what happened. I'm worried about you. This isn't like you at all." She says worriedly. "I-" Laurel starts, before stopping again. She pulls her knees tighter to her chest before she starts again. "You know how we were fighting that group of guys earlier?" Dinah nods. " One of the guys, I- I knew him, from my past. And we were fighting and he tried convince me to come back and team up with him. I said no and-" She stops again. Dinah puts her hand on Laurels knee, comforting her. "Go on." Dinah says encouragingly, lightly stroking Laurel's knee with her thumb. Laurel takes a deep breath before saying "And he said some things to me that just- really got to me I guess" She says, looking down. Dinah cups Laurel's cheek as she asks "What did he say Laur?" She asks gently. Laurel shrugs, still not making eye contact with Dinah. Her eyes fill with tears as she asks "Do you think I'm a bad person D?" Dinah shakes her head. "Laur, why would I think that?" Laurel shrugs again and continues to stare at the ground. "Hey, look at me." Dinah says, gently lifting Laurel's chin so that they are making eye contact. "Why would I think that about you?" She asks Laurel gently. Laurel sniffles before telling Dinah, "He said that I'm a bad person. He said that I'll always be evil and that murderers like me will always be bad so I should just embrace it and be Siren again and I just- I'm not that person anymore and I thought maybe I was finally becoming good but maybe I was wrong and-" "Hey, hey, hey, that's not true." Dinah stops her. Laurel shakes her head and continues, "You don't know that. How do you know that I'm not still bad inside? How do you know that I'm actually as good as you think I am now? How-" "Laur." Dinah cuts her off. "Just listen to me, please" She says, gently taking both of Laurel's hands in hers. She takes a deep breath before telling her, "I know you're a good person because I've seen how much you've grown since you've been with us. I've seen how big of a heart you have and how much you care about people now. And if you truly were still evil or bad, you wouldn't be this upset about what he said and you certainly wouldn't have said no to joining him." Laurel doesn't say anything for a moment, lost in thought. After a beat of silence, she scoots over and rests her head on Dinah's shoulder. Dinah immediately pulls her closer and wraps her arms around Laurel, who shifts to rest her head in the crook of Dinah's neck. Dinah closes her eyes, just enjoying the comfortable warmth of Laurel in her arms for a moment before she hears a quiet, "Thanks D, That means a lot." Dinah smiles and rests her head gently against Laurels. "Anytime, pretty bird. I'm always here for you." She tells her, gently stroking her back. Soon, Laurel's eyes begin to close as the comfort of being held puts her to sleep.


	2. Unrequited Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinah comes home to Laurel and some Chinese food after a long night at the bar.

The next night, Dinah sighs as she steps out of the elevator after a long night at the bar. As soon as she steps into the apartment, the smell of mouth-watering food hits her nose. As she deeply inhales the delicious smells, her stomach growls loudly. Looking around for Laurel, she quickly spots her sitting on the couch, and a smile immediately spreads across her face at the sight of her. "Hey D" Laurel says with a mouth full of Lo-Mein, the carton balanced on her lap. "I got us some food." Dinah chuckles. "I can tell." She says, walking over to the kitchen and grabbing a carton of Chinese from the counter. Opening the carton and grabbing some chopsticks, she notices that the carton that she grabbed was fried rice, her favorite. She smiles as she realizes that Laurel must've left that one for her on purpose. Taking a bite, she heads over to the couch and plops down next to laurel, who moves over to make room for her to sit. "Thanks for grabbing us dinner, pretty bird. It's been a long night." She says with a sigh. She takes another bite of her Lo-Mein, relaxing against the couch. "How was work?" Laurel asks her. Dinah swallows the food in her mouth before she tells Laurel, "It was pretty crazy today honestly. I know it's a Saturday night, but wow was it busy. Someone knocked over a table, I have no idea how and some other guy wouldn't stop flirting with me." She tells Laurel with a chuckle. Laurel's eyes widen at the last part of her sentence. "Oh." She says disappointedly. "Did you flirt back?" She asks her, trying to hide her disappointment. She's liked Dinah for a little while now, but hasn't had the nerve to tell her. Dinah's eyes widen. "No!" She says with a laugh. "I'm not interested in him." She says with a shake of her head. "Why do you care, anyway?" She says, teasingly, bumping Laurel's shoulder with her own playfully. Laurel looks away as she responds, "I don't. I was just wondering, that's all." Dinah's eyes narrow, unconvinced, but before she can say anything else, Laurel changes the subject. "Want to trade?" She asks, gesturing to the half empty carton in Dinah's hand. "Of course." Dinah says, trading her carton for Laurel's. Taking a bite of lo-mein, she glances back at Laurel, who seems to be lost in thought. Nudging her gently, she asks, "What are you thinking about?". Laurel looks at her for a moment, considering if she should just tell her the truth. Instead, she lies. "Nothing, I'm just tired." She lies. Looking at Dinah, Laurel could swear that for just a second Dinah looked disappointed. And she is, because she thought after the night before that maybe Laurel would finally start sharing her problems and feelings with her. "You know you can tell me anything, right?" Dinah tells her gently, putting a hand on her knee. "D, I'm fine, really." She assures Dinah. "I would tell you if something was wrong, I promise. I was just thinking about how tired I am, that's all." Dinah knows that that isn't the truth, but she doesn't push. "I should let you get some sleep then." Dinah says, getting up. "D, wait." Laurel says, grabbing her arm. "hm?" Dinah hums in response, raising her eyebrows. Laurel wants to tell her the truth, but instead says, "Goodnight, D." Dinah smiles, before replying "Goodnight, songbird." Laurel lets go of her arm and watches as Dinah puts her carton in the fridge and turns out the light before heading up the stairs to her bedroom. Laurel wishes she could have just told Dinah how she felt when she had the chance, but instead she chickened out. She lays awake for hours that night, thinking about Dinah. Her beautiful soft curls, her green eyes that Laurel could get lost in for days and that smile that Laurel loves more than anything else in the world. Dinah lays awake for hours that night too, thinking about Laurel. She smiles as she thinks about Laurel's smile, her laugh, and how she has grown into such an amazing human being. They fall asleep that night thinking about each other, hoping that maybe the other will feel the same as they do, completely unaware about how the other feels about them.


	3. Fun

Laurel wanders up the stairs and into Dinah's room, searching for Dinah's spare phone charger. "Where is it, again?" Laurel yells down to Dinah. "I don't know! It's in there somewhere, you don't see it?" She yells back. "No!" Laurel yells. Dinah sighs, and begins to climb the stairs to help Laurel look for it. Looking around the room, Laurel's eyes land on Dinah's bedside dresser. Wondering if maybe it's in there, she walks over to the drawer and begins to rummage around inside it. Pushing aside the random assortment of things Dinah keeps in there, her eyes land on something shiny and red. "You have a vibrator?" She shrieks, laughing. "Get out of there, Laurel!" Dinah yells, half laughing and half mortified. She runs the rest of the way up the stairs and down the hall, into her room, where she finds Laurel holding her vibrator, laughing. She turns it on, smirking at Dinah as she does it. "Wow, powerful." Laurel teases, having fun making fun of Dinah. She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively at Dinah, who smacks her arm and tries to grab it from her. "Give it back!" She shrieks, laughing and trying to grab it from her again. "Come and get it!" Laurel laughs, running away. Dinah chases her into a corner and Laurel squeals with laughter as Dinah grabs her, pulling the vibrator from her in the process. "Fuck!" Laurel yells, laughing. Dinah releases her, laughing and shaking her head. She turns it off and puts it back in the drawer. "Don't go in that drawer again, laurel." Dinah tells her, chuckling. "I can assure you, the charger isn't in there." Laurel pouts at her, playful saying, "But what if I want to have some fun?" She teases. For a moment, the image of Laurel using it flashes through Dinah's mind, and a moan almost escapes her lips. "You'd like that, wouldn't you." laurel says, teasingly, stepping closer to Dinah. Dinah's face reddens at that, and she stammers, "What? I- uh," "I'm kidding." laurel laughs, lightly shoving her. "Yeah, I know," Dinah laughs nervously. "Anyway, I think the charger might be in my jacket pocket." She says, changing the subject. "I took it with me a while ago, maybe I never put it back." She tells her. "And where would this jacket be?" Laurel asks her, wiggling her eyebrows ridiculously at Dinah. "Downstairs." Dinah laughs, shoving her lightly. "I hope it's in there. I'm at nine percent." Laurel groans, heading back downstairs, Dinah following close behind. When they get downstairs, Laurel suddenly squeals, "Oh my god, I love this movie!" Looking over towards the TV, she sees that the Lord of The Rings movie is on. "I've never seen it before, what's it about?" She asks. "You don't know?" Laurel screeches. "We have to watch it together, it's literally the best movie ever." She tells Dinah, tugging her towards the couch. Dinah laughs and lets Laurel tug her towards the couch. They plop down on the couch together, and soon the two are engrossed in the movie. Suddenly, Laurel pokes Dinah in the shoulder, than points to the TV. "Hey, that looks like you!" She says, pointing to the ugly creature on the screen. "Hey!" Dinah laughs, shoving her. "You suck!" Laurel smirks. "You don't." She says with another obnoxious wink. Dinah laughs. "You're really something, Laurel." She says, shaking he head at the blonde. "I know." She responds with a smirk. They turn back to the movie as a good part comes on, and Laurel scoots closer to Dinah, who rests her head on Laurel's shoulder. Laurel's fingers run gently through her hair, and she relaxes into Laurel, who puts her arms around her. She closes her eyes and enjoys the sensation of Laurel's fingers running through her hair, and soon she falls asleep with her head resting in the crook of Laurel's neck. When Laurel notices this, she smiles, just enjoying having the woman she loves in her arms. Soon, she too drifts off, warm and comfortable with Dinah asleep in her arms.


	4. When The Past Comes Back To haunt You

It's the crack of dawn when something wakes Laurel. Confused, she sits up and looks around the room, disoriented and still half asleep. It's still dark outside, and everything is still and quiet in the apartment. Suddenly, her phone rings, and her eyes land on where it sits beside her. That must have been what woke her up, she concludes. Picking it up, she notices that the number that called is an unknown number, but she picks it up anyway on the off hand that it's something important. "Hello?" She says sleepily into the phone. "Well, if it isn't our favorite Siren." A deep voice on the other end taunts. Laurel freezes, her breath catching in her throat. Panic rises inside her as she utters a strained, "What?" "Last time we spoke, I wasn't so convincing. This time however," The voice pauses. "It won't be so easy to say no." Laurel tries to muster up her tough voice as she tells him, "I'm not helping you. I'm done with that life. That isn't me anymore." She tells him, her chest getting tighter by the second. "Who says I was giving you a choice this time?" The voice asks roughly. Laurel tenses at that. "How's your friend Dinah, hm? It would be such a shame if she got hurt because you didn't want to help your dear old friend Angelo." The voice mocks. Fear and anger flare inside Laurel as the thought of someone hurting Dinah flashes in her mind. "Don't you dare bring her into this you son of a bitch." She snarls. Angelo chuckles. "If you want to keep her safe, you'll meet me at the warehouse on 24th and Bay Avenue tomorrow night at 11pm." Her breath quickens and all she can do is get out a strained, "Fine." The voice on the other ends simply says "Good. You know what happens if you don't." Then she hears a click, and just like that the call ends. Fear blossoms in her chest as she fully registers what just happened, and what she has to do. Her breathing quickens and she starts to shake as she begins to panic, her chest getting tighter and the world starting to spin. She can't do this again, relive all the pain and trauma that being Siren again will surely bring back. The thought sickens her, and she stumbles towards the bathroom, shutting the door quickly behind her and promptly throwing up into the toilet, gasping and gagging. Leaning against the toilet, sobs wrack her body as she reaches up and flushes the toilet. Shaking and gasping, she leans back against the wall next to her, tears running down her face. "Laurel?" Dinah calls from outside the door, and Laurel freezes. "Are you okay? I heard the door slam." Dinah says worriedly. Laurel clears her throat and puts on the most normal voice she can. "I'm fine D, just feel a little sick, that's all." There's a pause, and then Dinah asks, "Do you need anything?" Wiping her eyes, Laurel responds, "No thanks. Go back to bed, I'll be fine." There's another pause before Dinah responds again. "Are you sure you're okay, Laur?" Dinah asks her, unconvinced. "Yes D, I'm sure. Go back to sleep." She tells her. Dinah sighs. "Okay, but let me know if you need anything." Laurel lets out a small, "I will." Seconds later, she hears Dinah's footsteps retreat back towards her room. When everything is quiet again, she gets up from the floor, wiping her eyes on the back of her arm. She steps over to the sink, splashing cold water on her face before looking in the mirror. She takes a deep breath as she takes in her own red eyes and tear streaked face. She knows she should've told Dinah, but she just couldn't tell her. She'd be so disappointed in her for accepting, she thinks. She has to do this alone. She can't let Dinah get hurt, and getting her involved in this will only be putting her in harms way. This is her problem and she needs to deal with it herself, she concludes. Taking another deep breath, she opens the bathroom door, and heads over to the couch, collapsing onto it in exhaustion. She curls up, still shaking as she lays there in the dark, praying that this was all just a nightmare.


	5. Be Careful, Please

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the chapters are so short :( This is my first fic but hope you enjoy!

The next afternoon, Laurel steps out into the bar. Glancing around, she spots Dinah sitting at the piano across the room. She stands there, watching Dinah play, and a pang of anxiety runs through her. She hates keeping secrets like this one from Dinah, but she knows this time she has to. To keep her safe. When the song finishes, she walks over to Dinah, who smiles when her eyes land on Laurel. "Hey, Laur," She says, grinning. "What brings you to this fine establishment?" She jokes. Laurel gives a half hearted smile. "Yeah, I just came to visit you, I got bored." She lies, twisting the ring on her finger. Dinah sees her do this, and tilts her head, asking, "Is everything okay, Laur? You look worried." She asks, concerned. Laurel doesn't want to lie, so she gives Dinah a half truth. "I'm just- meeting an old friend tonight. I'm kind of nervous, that's all." Laurel fibs. Dinah looks worried. "Why didn't you tell me? Laurel, the people from your past have a tendency to be dangerous. What if it's a trap, what if they're dangerous?" Laurel sighs, still playing with the ring on her finger. "Dinah, it's fine. They'd never hurt me, I promise. We're just going out for some food or something." Dinah looks unconvinced. "Then why are you worried?" She asks, getting up from the piano bench and walking towards the bar, Laurel following behind her. "I just haven't seen them in a while, that's all. You'd be nervous too if you were seeing a friend after a long time." Laurel says, plopping down on a barstool. Dinah raises an eyebrow at that, but accepts her answer. "Fine. Just- be careful, please." She tells her, beginning to clean glasses behind the bar. Laurel nods. "I will be D, I promise. What time do you get off work tonight?" She asks her. Dinah sighs, wiping down a glass. "I don't get off until closing. We're really understaffed today. I can try and leave early if you want me to go with you later, though." Laurel shrugs her shoulders, telling her, "No, that's okay. I'll be fine." Dinah bites her lip, looking worried. "If you're sure..." She says nervously. "I'll be fine, really. Don't worry about me, D." Laurel assures her. Dinah tilts her head. "You know I always do, Laur." She admits. Laurel puts her hand on Dinah's arm. "Hey, you don't have to worry about me, I'm okay." Dinah covers her hand with her own, telling her, "I know, but you know I'm going to worry anyway." Laurel smiles. "You wouldn't be you if you didn't." She says fondly. Suddenly, a man walks up to the bar and orders a drink from Dinah. Giving Laurel a quick smile, she turns back to the bar and begins to make the drink. As she makes it, Laurel checks her watch. Noticing that it's already nine o-clock, she decides to head upstairs to start getting ready to go. Looking back to Dinah, she tells her, "I'm going to go back upstairs D, I'll see you later." She says, getting up. Dinah puts down the drink she's making and walks around the bar, giving her a quick hug. "See you later, Laur." She tells her, and just for a moment Laurel sees a look of worry flash across her face. Laurel smiles. "I'll be fine." She assures her, pulling back from the hug. "I'll See you later, D." Her hand lingers on Dinah for a second longer before she pulls it away and heads towards the elevator. She presses the button, and she steps inside as the doors slide open. Pressing the up button, the doors begin to close and her eyes catch Dinah's just before they slide shut.


	6. Twenty-fourth St and Bay Ave

Hours later, Laurel steps out of the elevator and into the bar, her Siren costume in a black duffel bag slung over her shoulder and Dinah’s leather jacket in her hand. She quickly makes her way through the room and towards the door, hoping that Dinah won't spot the duffel she's carrying and get suspicious. As she makes her way towards the door, Dinah spots her from across the room and they make eye contact. Her eyes land on the duffel, and a look of confusion flickers across her face. Laurel waves at her in an attempt to draw her attention away from the duffel and rushes out the door before Dinah can ask any questions. The last thing that Laurel wants is Dinah finding out where she's really going. Stepping out into the cool night air, she slips on the leather jacket, smiling when she notices that it smells like Dinah. It comforts her slightly, and she pulls the jacket tighter against herself. Glancing around for a moment to get her bearings, she hangs a right and begins walking down the street, twisting her ring nervously on her finger as she walks. The night is quiet, except for the few cars that drive her by every few minutes as she walks the twelve or so blocks to the abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. She sighs, wishing she hadn’t decided to walk the full twelve blocks to the warehouse. She didn’t think it would be this long of a walk, and it starts to dawn on her that she poorly underestimated it. Checking her phone as she walks, she quickens her pace a bit as she crosses the street onto twenty-fourth street. She still has about half an hour, but she still has to change into her Siren outfit somewhere, though she isn’t exactly sure where. As she walks, her mind drifts back to Dinah. She’s going to be so disappointed when she finds out about this, Laurel worries. Twenty minutes later, she turns onto Bay Avenue, and her phone buzzes in her pocket. Taking it out, she sees a text from an unknown number, simply saying, “You better be here. You have 10 minutes.” Laurel bites her lip as she keeps walking, the duffel still dangling from her shoulder. She won’t have time to change, she concludes as the warehouse comes into sight. As she nears it, she notices a large black car and two motorcycles sitting empty outside. As she gets closer, she notices a man standing by the entrance, arms crossed, leaning against the wall. When he sees her, he moves from the wall and takes a few steps towards her as he waits for her to come closer, and as she does, she recognizes him as Angelo. A pang of worry hits her as the reality of the situation hits her again, and she stops for a moment. Eyeing the entrance to the warehouse, she considers for a moment turning around and going back. She thinks about it for a moment before deciding against it. No matter how much she doesn’t want to do this, she has to protect Dinah. There’s no other way. Taking a deep breath, she walks hesitantly over to Angelo, noticing the gun in his waistband as she approaches. She freezes for a moment, realizing she forgot her own. “Having second thoughts?” He asks her with fake concern in his voice. Laurel shakes her head, putting on a look of fake confidence. “Of course not.” She smirks. He steps closer to her, and she flinches. “Good.” He says quietly, a dangerous look on his face. “I started to think for a minute that maybe we’d have to be… more convincing, to get you to help us.” He tells her, and she raises her eyebrows. “How could I pass up a chance to get in on the action?” She responds, doing her best to act confident and tough. “This place could use something more exciting.” She smirks. “So what’s the plan?” She asks him. He gestures for her to follow, telling her, “You’ll see.” He walks into the warehouse, and she follows behind him, clutching the duffel like it’s a lifeline.


	7. A wave of Worry

Dinah shakes her leg, distracted. Laurel said she was just meeting a friend, but something seemed off to her about the situation. The duffel she was carrying certainly doesn’t help with that. She shouldn’t worry, she assures herself. Laurel is fine. She tries to focus on wiping down the glass in her hand, but soon the worry is all she can think about. Giving in to her worry, she puts away the glass in her hand, waving to the manager, gesturing that she’s going upstairs before going over to the elevator and pressing the button. Stepping inside, she presses the up button before pulling out her phone quickly. Scrolling through her phone, A wave of anxiety hits her when she sees that Laurel turned her location off. She decides to send her a text, hoping maybe she’s just overreacting. If Laurel doesn’t respond in ten minutes, then she’ll worry, she reasons with herself. As the doors open and she steps into the apartment, she types out, ‘Hey, just wanted to check in on you. How are things going?’ She sends the text before plopping down onto the couch. She bites her lip, staring at her phone screen, willing a text to show up. When she doesn’t get one after a minute, she sighs and turns on the tv in an attempt to calm her nervousness. Her favorite show is on, but she blankly stares at the television, barely registering what she’s watching. She can’t help but worry as possibilities flash in her mind of what could be happening. What if this person has bad intentions? What if they hurt her? These questions linger in her mind as she thinks about how people from Laurel’s past tend to be less than nice. Dinah knows that well, maybe better than most people. Glancing back at her phone, only three minutes have gone by, but it feels like an eternity for her. Pulling up Laurel’s contact, she presses the call button, and her anxiety increases tenfold as it goes straight to voicemail. Suddenly, her eyes land on her computer and a thought pops into her head. If she can find out where she is, she’ll know if she’s okay. Turning off the TV, she heads over to her computer, quickly turning it on as she sits down and puts in the necessary code to ping Laurel’s cell. ‘Thank god for Felicity’, she thinks. Felicity taught her some basic skills on tracking cell phones, and the 2040 tech definitely makes it a lot easier for her. She waits a moment as the computer zeros in on Laurel’s location, and a map pops up on the screen with a glowing green dot. Her eyes narrow in confusion as she sees that the location is all the way on the outskirts of the city. Confused, she retries pinging her cell, only to get the same results as before. She sits back in the computer chair, staring at the glowing dot on the screen before it. “That doesn’t make any sense.” She says to herself out loud. “Why would she be there?” Was she kidnapped? What could she possibly be doing there? Is she okay? Picking up her phone, she tries calling Laurel again, only to get the same results as before. Biting her lip, she considers her options. She could wait and see if Laurel calls her back, or she could go now and find out for herself if she’s okay. Her mind flashes back to the duffel on Laurel’s shoulder, the nervous look on her face and in her voice, and her mind is instantly made up. She knows she could just be overreacting. Maybe laurel’s phone just died. Or maybe it didn’t. “Only one way to find out.” She says to herself. She plugs laurel’s location into her phone and heads for the door. On her way out, she goes to grab her jacket, but to her surprise, it’s missing. Frowning, She grabs Laurel’s instead from the coatrack by the door and heads out to find her.


	8. The warehouse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if you guys have any suggestions or requests!

“No, I- I won’t. I won’t help you do that.” Laurel insists. Angelo roughly grabs her wrist, telling her roughly, “You don’t really have a choice, do you?” She tries to pull her arm back, but he’s too strong. “Go to hell.” She snarls. He smirks. “Come on, baby. It’s not hard. Either you kill them or we kill you.” He says, his grip tightening. “It’s a simple choice.” He tells her. “You sick bastard.” She growls. “I won’t help you poison the entire city. You’re sick!” She insists. That pisses him off, and he roughly throws her to the ground. He pulls out his gun then, pointing at her. “Last chance. You help us, or you die. Take your pick.” He snaps. Afraid, she lets out a canary cry, throwing his gun across the room. “I guess you’ve taken your pick. Don’t worry, I’ll make it quick.” He tells her as she scrambles to her feet. He comes toward her then, throwing a punch that she dodges. They fight for a few minutes, throwing punches and kicks, occasionally landing them on each other as they fight. It’s all going well for Laurel until he lands a solid kick to her ribs and she goes flying. She lands on the ground with a thud, whimpering in pain as she lands painfully on her now injured side. Before she can get up, he’s already retrieved his gun again and has it pointed at her. He snickers. “Ready to rethink your answer?” He asks roughly, keeping the gun trained on her. “Never.” She grunts, pain evident in her voice as she weakly tries to get back up again. He kicks her on her injured side and there’s an audible crack as she falls down again with a shriek of pain. This time she doesn’t get back up, instead curling into a ball on the ground. Angelo keeps the gun pointed at her, flicking off the safety. “Last chance.” He yells. 

As Dinah approaches the entrance to the warehouse, she hears a commotion going on inside, followed by a shriek of pain that she’s sure is Laurel’s. Her blood runs cold and she takes off, running as fast as she can into the warehouse, trying to get to laurel as fast as possible. As she steps inside, freezing momentarily as her eyes zero in on Laurel, curled up on the floor, unmoving. She takes off towards her, fear making her blood run cold as she notices a man pointing a gun at her. “Last chance.” She hears him yell, oblivious to her presence. He clicks off the safety, and Dinah urges her legs to go faster, to get to laurel in time. When she gets close enough, she lets out a canary cry, sending him flying backwards into the wall. He hits the wall and then the ground with a thud. When he doesn’t get back up, Dinah breathes a sigh of relief before remembering why she’s there. Laurel. Turning back, she rushes over to Laurel, who barely responds, just whimpers, holding her side. “Laurel.” She says worriedly, kneeling next to her. Laurel doesn’t say anything, just lets out another whimper, a tear running down her face. Seeing Laurel like this terrifies her, but she tries her best not to show it. “Laur, I- everything’s going to be okay. I’m going to get help, okay?” She asks, her voice shaking as she reaches out to stroke her hair gently. Dinah barely catches a nod from Laurel. She continues to stroke her hair with one hand, the other taking out her cell phone with a shaking hand and calling for an ambulance. When she hangs up, she ever so gently shifts laurel into her lap, cradling her in her arms. She kisses her forehead as she holds her, waiting for the ambulance to come. Every breath seems to take so much effort, pain etched into Laurel’s features and she lays in Dinah’s arms. After what feels like an eternity, sirens approach, and finally help arrives. They load Laurel into the ambulance, Dinah staying by her side the whole way there.


	9. I Trust You

Laurel gets to go home the next day, under Dinah’s supervision. The two of them sit on the couch cuddling, watching movies, Dinah doing her best to keep her comfortable. “How many more are there? Lord of the Rings sucks!” Dinah groans as they finish the third movie. Laurel gasps dramatically. “How dare you insult my favorite series like that!” She says, feigning hurt. Dinah shakes her head, smiling. “You only like it because you relate to the characters. Golem looks just like you!” She teases. “Hey! I do not!” She laughs, then winces and tenses up as pain shoots through her. “Fuck. You’d think after a day it would hurt a little less.” Laurel complains, sighing. Dinah rolls her eyes, shaking her head at Laurel’s impatience. “It’s only been a day. Give it time.” She tells her. “You know what might help you though?” She says, thinking. Laurel tilts her head. “What?” Dinah thinks for a moment. “Maybe a hot shower? It might help since your muscles are sore.” She says, still thinking. “True, but how would I do that?” Laurel responds. “I’m not exactly in good enough condition to shower myself.” Dinah bites her lip, hesitating before responding. “I could help you… if you want.” She says hesitantly. “Wh-” Laurel starts. Dinah’s eyes widen, realizing how that sounded. “Not like that! I just meant like… help you shampoo and change and all that.” She quickly explains. Laurel thinks for a minute. “That sounds nice actually.” She says. Dinah smiles fondly. “Do you want to shower now? Before it gets late?” She asks her. Laurel nods, slowly untangling herself from Dinah and standing up with Dinah’s help. “Let’s get you showered.” Dinah says, planting a kiss on Laurel’s head as she gently leads her towards the bathroom. When they get there, Dinah asks her, “You ready?” Laurel nods, stepping closer. Dinah carefully helps Laurel out of her tank top, her eyes intent on her face as she pulls it over her head. “Still doing good?” She asks. Laurel nods again. “Still good.” She assures her. Laurel reaches for her sweatpants, hissing in pain as she tries to take them off herself. Dinah’s hands cover hers, and she tells Laurel, “I got it pretty bird, just relax. I don’t want you making anything worse.” When Laurel looks back up at Dinah, all she sees is genuine love and concern. Taking a deep breath, she says, “Okay. Thanks.” Dinah gives her a smile in response as she begins to ease the sweatpants off of her. She flinches as Dinah’s fingers graze her thigh, and Dinah immediately stops and looks to her to see if she’s okay. “Sorry.” Laurel says, looking at the ground. “You don’t need to apologize for anything Laur.” Dinah tells her. “Is this still okay?” Laurel swallows, nodding. “Let me know if you change your mind, Laur. We can figure out a better way to do this another day if you don’t feel comfortable doing it like this.” Her genuine concern for her comfort makes Laurel’s heart melt. “It’s okay, D. I trust you.” She tells her. Dinah smiles at that. “I’m glad.” She says. Eyes again intent on her face, she gently helps Laurel the rest of the way out of her sweatpants. “Are you okay with me helping you with the rest or…?” She asks, gesturing to Laurel’s undergarments. Laurel pauses for a moment to think. “Yeah I- don’t really think I could get them off myself, so it’s not like I really have a choice.” Dinah raises her eyebrows, waiting for a clearer answer. “Like I said, D. I trust you.” She says. Dinah smiles fondly at her. “Good.” She says. “You know my only intentions are to help.” Laurel nods, and turns as Dinah gently puts her hands on her shoulders to turn her around. She feels Dinah’s fingers gently unhook her bra, and she lets it fall to the floor beside her. Then, she feels Dinah’s hands on her shoulders again, gently urging her to turn back. Dinah smiles at her fondly as their eyes meet again. The bruising on Laurel’s ribs are on full view now, and Dinah’s eyes linger on it for a moment before pulling her attention back to the task at hand. She gently grasps Laurel’s underwear where it sits on her hips, asking her one last time, “This still okay?” Laurel pauses for a moment to think before nodding. “I’m not looking, I promise.” She assures Laurel, who nods nervously. At that, she gently helps Laurel out of them, sliding them off and dropping them onto the floor beside her bra before wrapping her gently in a towel. She kisses her gently on the forehead, telling her, “Let me get the water to a good temperature before you get in, okay?” She asks her, cupping her cheek. Laurel leans into the touch, smiling at her thoughtfulness. “Thanks, D.” She says. Dinah turns on the water, holding her hand under the water and adjusting the temperature until it’s just right. When it’s warm enough, she turns to Laurel. “You ready to get in?” She asks. Laurel nods, handing Dinah the towel and slipping into the warm shower. Sighing as the hot water hits her sore muscles, she lets the water run over her as she waits for Dinah to help her. “Hey Laur?” Dinah asks suddenly, sounding nervous. “What’s up, D?” She responds. “I don’t want to cross any boundaries, it’s just… unless I get in with you it’s going to be really hard to help you.” She says, biting her lip. Laurel thinks for a moment. “You can come in if it’ll be easier. I know you’re just trying to help.” She tells her. A minute later, a very naked Dinah joins her in the shower, and Laurel forgets to breathe for a moment as she takes in how beautiful she is. “Hey pretty bird.” Dinah tells her as she gets in, standing just out of the water. “Ready for me to wash your hair?” She asks, grabbing the shampoo bottle. Laurel nods, turning to let Dinah shampoo her hair. She lets out a hum of content as Dinah gently works the shampoo through her hair, fingers gently running through her hair and scratching her scalp. She gently nudges Laurel back into the water when she’s done, running her hands through her hair to rinse out all the shampoo. When she’s done, she presses a gentle kiss to Laurel’s shoulder before gently turning her back. Picking up the bottle of shower gel, she tells Laurel, “Hold out your hand.” When she does, she squeezes some of the shower gel onto Laurel’s hand so that she can finish washing herself. She’d do it for her, but she doesn’t want to cross any boundaries and make Laurel uncomfortable. Unfortunately for Laurel, however, every move she makes seems to cause a sharp pain that makes her hiss. “Do you want me to help you?” Dinah asks hesitantly. “If you feel comfortable. If you don’t then I won’t.” She tells her. Laurel considers this for a moment, looking at her nervously. “My only intention is to help, I promise.” Dinah tells her gently. Laurel thinks for a moment before telling her, “Just don’t….” She drifts off. Dinah nods, understanding. “I won’t. I promise.” She tells her, understanding. She squeezes some shower gel onto her hands, rubbing them together before gently running them over Laurel’s arms, back and legs, careful to avoid any of the areas that might make Laurel uncomfortable. She touches her skin with the gentlest of touches, telling her she loves her without having to say anything. When Dinah finishes, Laurel leans back into the water, closing her eyes as she enjoys the hot water.  
“Ready to get out, pretty bird?” Dinah asks a few minutes later. Laurel nods, and the two step out of the shower, Dinah wrapping a fluffy towel around her and then another around herself. Dinah helps her dry off and get into her pajamas and then gets into her own, and the two crawl into Dinah's bed, relaxed after their shower. As Laurel gets into bed, she looks over at Dinah’s who has a sad look on her face. “You okay, D?” She asks, concerned. “I just hate that you’re in so much pain, Laur. I wish I could help you more.” She says sadly. “Hey, I’m okay, D. You’ve been so helpful.” Laurel assures her. Dinah holds out her arms, and Laurel immediately melts into them. She feels safe in that moment, in Dinah’s arms, with her head in the crook of Dinah’s neck. “I love you so much.” Dinah says softly as she strokes her hair, holding her tighter. Laurel clings tighter in response. “I love you too.”


	10. Brontosaurus

"Shush, I'm trying to sleep." Laurel groans from the couch. Dinah chuckles, rolling her eyes. "It's 2pm, Laur. If you want to sleep, go upstairs to my room." She tells her with a sigh. "Why can't you just do that later?" Laurel whines, burying her head in a pillow. "Laurel, I can't stop my whole day because you want to take a nap. Go upstairs or deal with it." Laurel lets out a frustrated groan and hauls herself off the coach. "Fine." She grumbles, sleepily heading towards the stairs. When she gets there, she turns to Dinah with raised eyebrows, silently waiting for her to help her up the stairs. Dinah sets down the dish she was washing and heads over to Laurel, shaking her head at the clearly grumpy Laurel. To Laurel’s surprise, Dinah picks her up and she yelps in surprise, grabbing her neck. Dinah chuckles, holding her tighter and carefully carrying her up the stairs. Laurel nestles her head into the crook of Dinah’s neck as she carries her, perfectly comfortable and content in Dinah’s arms. "I'm going out for a little while, I'll be back later, okay pretty bird?" Dinah tells her as she puts her down on the bed. "Sure." Laurel responds tiredly, climbing into Dinah’s side of the bed and curling up with a sigh of content. She inhales deeply, the scent of lavender and Jasmine, purely Dinah, enveloping her. The scent comforts her, and she smiles contently, drifting off to sleep. Dinah kisses her on the forehead before she leaves, and Laurel smiles contently in her sleep. 

As Dinah walks through the store in search of cocoa powder, her eyes land on the wall of stuffed animals nearby. She doesn’t give it a second thought until she spots a fluffy green brontosaurus among the bunch, and immediately picks it up. It’s so cute, and she puts it into her cart before heading off to get the ingredients for hot chocolate. She’ll give the toy to Laurel later, she decides. She’ll think it’s so funny, and anyway she could always use some more comfort in her life, Dinah reasons. She just wants to make Laurel happy. Putting the last ingredient into her cart, she pays for her things and heads home to Laurel. 

Opening the door to the apartment, Dinah frowns for a moment when she doesn’t see Laurel. Remembering that she’s upstairs, she does her best to keep the noise down as she puts away the ingredients she bought, placing the stuffed animal on the couch before tip toe-ing upstairs. Her bedroom door is open, and she smiles as she spots a sleeping Laurel all curled up in her bed, looking as adorable and peaceful as ever. Careful not to wake her, she quietly slides off her boots, changing as quietly as possible before slipping into bed beside her. Laurel moves closer in her sleep, and Dinah smiles, putting an arm loosely around her waist. She stays like that, admiring Laurel for a while, letting the sound of her breathing soothe her. She’s so lucky to have her in her life, and she reflects on that as she watches Laurel sleep. A few minutes later, she leans over to press a feather light kiss to her forehead, immediately regretting it when Laurel’s eyes blink open. “Sorry, pretty bird,” She said softly. “I didn’t mean to wake you.” She says, feeling a bit guilty. Laurel gives her a sleepy smile. “It’s okay. I’m glad you’re back.” She says, sleep evident in her voice. Dinah smiles, putting her arms around her and pulling her closer so that their foreheads rest together. Laurel relaxes against her, melting into the touch. “I’m so lucky to have you in my life.” Laurel murmurs. Dinah smiles. “I was just thinking the same about you, actually.” She says with a smile. Laurel pulls back slightly so that their eyes can meet. “I love you.” She simply says. Dinah melts at that, responding with, “I love you too.” Laurel’s eyes flicker to her lips. “Can I kiss you?” She asks softly, brushing a lock of hair behind Dinah’s ear. Dinah smiles. “You may.” She says, leaning closer. Dinah’s eyes flicker shut as their lips meet, and sparks go though her as they kiss. It’s soft, gentle as so full of meaning and so unlike any other kiss Laurel has ever had, and she savors the moment as long as she can. When they finally pull apart, the look of love Dinah has on her face makes Laurel melt even more. She rests her forehead against Dinah’s, who pulls her closer still. Laurel curls up against her, reveling in the moment. Dinah runs her fingers through Laurel’s hair softly as she holds her. “I got you something today.” She tells Laurel softly. Laurel pulls back slightly to look at her. “You did?” She asks curiously. “Want to see?” Dinah asks excitedly. Laurel nods, curious. Dinah slips out of bed, much to Laurel’s disappointment, and heads downstairs to retrieve the surprise. When she comes back into the bedroom, she hides it behind her back as she approaches, sitting down on the bed beside Laurel. “Ready?” Dinah asks excitedly. Laurel nods, and Dinah whips it out from behind her back. Laurel gasps, her eyes lighting up. “I love it!” She exclaims, grabbing it from Dinah and hugging it to her chest. Dinah laughs. “I’m glad you like it.” She says, smiling. “Thank you, D.” Laurel says, putting down the Brontosaurus to hug Dinah. Dinah kisses her head, telling her fondly, “you’re welcome, pretty bird.”


	11. Everything's Okay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be honest, I didn't really proof read this one, but it's probably fine honestly. Hope you guys are enjoying it so far!

"I can't believe you really spilled your milkshake like that!" Dinah exclaims, laughing as they walk down the dimming street. Laurel lightly shoves her. "Hey! It's a right of passage." She laughs. Dinah chuckles, shaking her head. Threading her fingers through Laurel's, she tells her, "I'm really glad we got to go out for dinner, this was nice." laurel smiles. "It was. We have to do this more often." Dinah nods, smiling. "Hey, do you want to cut through the park on the way home? It looks so pretty at dusk." She says. Laurel smiles. "Of course, pretty bird." She says. Heading into the park, the two head over to a bench, sitting down together to gaze at the colorful sky as the sun sets. Dinah rests her head on Laurel’s shoulder and she pulls her close, running her fingers gently up and down Dinah’s arm as they sit in comfortable silence. A few minutes go by before Laurel notices a man lingering on the other side of the park, face hidden by his sweatshirt hood. Alarm bells go off in Laurel’s head as he continues to linger, and it dawns on Laurel that he’s watching them. Laurel tenses, fight or flight starting to kick in. “Dinah.” Laurel says nervously, urgently as he begins to walk towards them. Dinah lifts her head to look at her, alarmed at the tone of voice. “That man over there.” Laurel whispers. Following her line of sight, Dinah spots the man as he comes ever closer to them. The two of them stand up as he approaches, on edge. When he gets close enough, he whips out a gun, pointing it at them. “You two.” He says. “Money, jewelry. Now.” Laurel subtly places herself in front of Dinah, protecting her, hands raised. “Hey, hey. Let’s work this out. Put down the gun.” Laurel tries to reason. To Laurel and Dinah’s dismay, he does the opposite, cocking the gun. “We’re not working anything out.” He says angrily. “Give me what you have or I’ll shoot!” He demands, pointing the gun directly at her, the barrel almost touching her skin. Dinah nervously presses herself against Laurel’s back, trembling slightly. Laurel takes a deep breath. “Fine.” She says calmly. “I’ll give you what we have.” She tells him, pretending to reach for her pocket. At the last moment her hands come back up, grabbing his wrist and spinning the gun out of his hands in one quick maneuver. “Fuck!” He yells as she points the newly obtained gun at him. “You bitch!” He yells angrily. “Go.” Laurel growls, and he takes off back across the park, afraid of getting shot. As soon as he’s out of sight Laurel turns to Dinah. “Are you okay?” She asks Dinah urgently, still on edge. Dinah nods, pulling Laurel into a tight hug, still trembling. “Are you?” She asks. She feels Laurel nod against her shoulder. Dinah breathes a sigh of relief, still clutching Laurel tightly. “He could have shot you.” She whispers, upset. “I know.” Laurel admits. “But in the moment all I was thinking about was keeping you safe.” She says, pulling back to look at her. Dinah gives her a small smile. “You know I can take care of myself, Laur.” She insists. Laurel nods, cupping her cheek. “I know.” She replies. “But I’m going to protect you anyway. Always.” She says softly. Dinah pulls her back into a hug, resting her head in the crook of Laurel’s neck. “Thank you.” She murmurs. Laurel gives her a small squeeze before pulling back, instead threading her fingers through Dinah’s. “Let’s go home, pretty bird.” She says, running her thumb gently across the back of Dinah’s hand. Dinah nods and they head towards the apartment, the two of them sticking close the whole way there. 

Not long after, they get to the apartment, and Laurel plops down onto the couch with a sigh of relief. “I’m exhausted.” She groans. When she gets no response, she turns to look at Dinah, concerned. “D?” She asks. To her surprise, Dinah is still standing by the door, tears in her eyes. "What's wrong, D?" Laurel asks, getting up and going over to her. Dinah shakes her head, blinking back tears. "I just- something could have happened to you. What if he had hurt you, Laurel?" She says, shaking, tears sliding down her cheeks. "I can’t go through that again." She sobs. Laurel reaches out and cups her cheek. "Hey, I'm okay. Everything's okay. I'm here." Dinah leans in to her touch for a moment, closing her eyes. Laurel leans forward, pressing a kiss to her forehead before pulling her close. "I'm sorry I scared you." She whispers. She feels Dinah nod against her shoulder and tighten her grip on Laurel, who rubs her back soothingly. “Want to come cuddle with me?” She asks Dinah softly. She nods, and Laurel pulls back, leading her gently upstairs and into the bed, sliding in beside her and pulling her close. She feels Dinah move impossibly closer to her, arms tight around her waist as she nestles her head into the crook of her neck. Laurel kisses her forehead, smiling slightly when she hears Dinah softly exhale and melt into her. She runs her hand soothingly up and down her back, listening to her breath even out as she relaxes. “I’m sorry I scared you.” She murmurs against Dinah’s hair. “I had to protect you. I’ll always keep you safe.” Dinah doesn’t respond, just tightens her hold on Laurel in response. “I love you.” Laurel whispers, stroking her hair gently. “I love you too.” Dinah murmurs into the crook of her neck. The two fall into a silence, and soon Dinah falls asleep, comfortable in Laurel’s arms. Laurel stays up a while longer, listening to Dinah’s even breathing, and letting that lull her to sleep.


End file.
